Chapter Twenty Six.
Empire.
"So, that's the Crystal Empire?" Pipp asked as the group stood at the top of the hill, looking down the basin towards a city in the distance, "It seems kinda small." She added, the wind blowing between her ears.
"That's only the capital." David replied, looking through a pair of binoculars, "But yeah, it's a fairly small city, at least, compared to Canterlot." He added, passing the binoculars to Pipp.
"Smaller? I mean from up here it’s small but what about up close?" Pipp spoke while looking through the binoculars.
"So, how do we plan on getting down there?" Zipp spoke up as she approached David and Pipp, visor pulled down over her face as a small hockey puck-sized drone flew behind her, "How stable is the terrain here anyway?" She continued, peering over the crest of the hill at the city below.
"Careful." David said cautiously, "It's a long way down if you fall." He added, feeling Pipp grip his leg tightly as he mentioned the long fall.
"Wimp." Zipp rolled her eyes under the visor, "Woah!" She shouted as her hooves slid out from under herself on the icy slope, "Oh no." She yelled, skidding to stop a few inches from the downward slope.
"Told ya." David chucked to himself as Zipp threw snow at him in anger.
"Not funny." The white pegasus grumbled under her breath.
"It was pretty funny." Izzy giggled as she trotted over the hill with Hitch, Sparky and Sunny in tow.
"You ok Zipp, that fall looked like it hurt." Sunny winced.
"Aside from now being cold and wet, I'm fine." Zipp bit her lip, trying her best to hide the pain.
"But, Zipp does raise a good point, how do you intend to get us down there, looks much too steep for that thing you call a car, the Sprouticus might be able to do it..." Hitch looked down the steep gradient, ears flat against his head.
"There's a railway line a mile or so east from here. Hopefully, the trackbed should still be intact enough for us to use as a road to get down into the basin safely." David answered, pointing to the east.
"Well, let's get going then!" Pipp smiled, stomping her hooves on the ground in rapid succession, "Cadenza and Shooting Star await!" She shouted, flapping her wings excitedly.
"Right, that's the trackbed." David pointed ahead as he stopped the car. Pipp looked at where the human had pointed, rusty brown rails stuck out from the crisp white snow covering the area. The pair stepped out of the car as the Sprouticus rolled to a stop close behind.
"Are you sure this will be safe to do?" Pipp asked with hesitation as she tapped her hoof on the rusty railhead.
"100%." David spoke calmly as he inspected the clearly disused railway alignment.
"How do you know a train won't appear and smash us to pieces?" Pipp said, fear clearly in her voice.
"Because judging from the amount of rust on the rails." David spoke as he ran his fingers along the rail, "This line hasn't been used for years, doubt it would even be able to take the weight of a train now." He added, looking at the rusty dust on his fingertips.
"I trust you but, sometimes I don't, so be honest, are you sure we are safe?" Pipp glanced up at David with pleading eyes.
"I assure you, Pipp, nothing is going to happen, I promise you." David knelt down to Pipp's level and gently caressed her ear.
"So. what's the plan?" Zipp asked as she stepped out from the Sprouticus.
"Simple, we just travel along the trackbed until we get to the bottom of the basin, there are no bridges or tunnels to deal with." David answered Zipp's question, "The tracks cling to the sides of the bowl as it were."
"And you're sure we won't end in a fiery explosion?" Zipp raised her eyebrow, doubting the human's plan.
"Hey, as long as that red pony doesn't do anything stupid and crashes that thing off the side and sticks to driving in the middle of the trackbed, you're golden." He replied, vaguely gesturing to Sprout as he stared out of the Sprouticus' cab.
"Welp, we're doomed..." Zipp frowned.
"Hey! I'm not that terrible at driving!" Sprout shouted in defence of himself, only for Zoom to clip the back of his head with her wing, "Ow..." The red stallion groaned as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, if those are the odds... I'm riding with them." Opaline said as she stepped out from the Sprouticus, "I've lived over 2000 years and I'm not dying because someone doesn't know how to drive." She added.
"What is it, pick on Sprout Day or something?" The red stallion grumbled to himself.
"You really want me to answer that?" Dazzle spoke as she fluttered past, disgust in her voice at Sprout's constant whining.
"This is un-freaking-believable..." Sprout groaned, slamming his head against the steering wheel.
Dazzle and Zoom glanced at each other and giggled at the stallion's clearly frustrated attitude. The pair’s faces showed mischievous grins as they felt amused by teasing the stallion.
"Alright, alright. Enough teasing Sprout, ok?" Sunny spoke with a mix of stern and calm in her voice to the two mares, clearly hiding her own giggle at the sight.
"So, how long will it take us to get down there?" Thunder asked, yawning loudly as he rubbed his eyes.
"No more than an hour or two at the least." Zipp answered, "Judging from the way the tracks seem to cling to the side of the basin as it heads downwards.
"3 hours to be precise." David corrected the white pegasus.
"Well, if you say so... David..." Zipp replied, for the first time ever, calling him by his actual name.
"Awww... Zipp..." Pipp smiled, placing a hoof to her chest, "You called him by his name..." She added.
"Urgh, don't get sentimental on me, It makes me think I'm gonna die." Zipp groaned, trying to hide her blush, "Now, let's get going." The white pegasus suggested.
Slowly but surely, the group made their way down the side of the basin, nothing ahead of them but 4 parallel lines of rusty brown steel in the pure white snow.
"So, what exactly was this railway line used for?" Pipp asked as steel poles passed by the car windows.
"This was the main high speed that linked the Empire's capital with Equestria's capital." David replied as they drove down the trackbed, "See those poles there? Those are the stanchions from the overhead wires that powered the express trains that used to run this line." He continued, pointing at the steel poles as they passed by, "It seems that after years of no upkeep, the wires themselves have fallen away, leaving only the main supports behind..." He added, sighing softly.
"It's amazing how you know this." Pipp spoke, her emerald eyes wide.
"I had a life before I reunited with Cadenza and met my daughter." He replied, keeping an eye on the speedometer on the car's dashboard.
"Oooh, mysterious." Pipp bit her lip in excitement, "You must have lived here a lot if you knew the system like the back of your hoof, uh... Hand." The pink pegasus purred in delight, grinning her teeth.
"I... I only lived here for about 5 years before I ended up in your time..." David lamented, his eyes focusing on the pathway ahead, "Before I ended up in a fractured Equestria." He added.
"Well, just think, in just a few short hours, you'll be reunited with your loving wife and daughter." Pipp smiled away the pain in her heart those words brought, shaking her head, she turned to look out the window, "Hey, look! We're near the bottom already!" Her green eyes sparkled with delight, "Guess Mom was right, time really does fly when you're having fun." She giggled to herself.
"Soon Cadenza..." David thought to himself as the ground levelled out, "We shall be reunited together as one happy family..." He said to himself, slowly pushing the throttle pedal downwards as the car sped up. The car swerved off of the tracks and back onto safe ground, quickly followed by the Sprouticus.
"Nearly home..." Pipp sighed sadly, looking down at her hooves as the city grew closer.
A few hours passed and the group reached the protective bubble that shielded the capital city from the icy surroundings.
"Are you sure we can pass through this protective shield?" Zipp asked, slightly concerned as she scanned the shield with her visor and mini drone.
"Yes, it is perfectly safe." Opaline spoke, craning her neck up at the shield, "It's been a while..." She said to herself, looking down at the ground, "Would they have even cared that I have been gone for so long..." She added, her mind drifting towards thoughts of her parents.
"How can you be so sure?" The white pegasus asked again, "This whole journey is gonna be a waste if we can't go through." She grumbled.
"Questions, questions, questions..." Opaline shook her head, "Observe." She continued, turning to face the group as they gathered at the base of the bubble, she spread her wings and casually trotted back into the shield, disappearing in a bright flash of rainbow light and shimmers.
"Mom?!" Sunny shouted in her horror as she stared at the spot where Opaline had disappeared from.
As everyone waited intensely, Opaline’s head popped up from the other side, "Oh stellar, quit your whining and get in here quickly!" She giggled softly.
"Uh Mom, your body is gone." Sunny added as she pointed at Opaline.
"Wait it is?" Opaline said as she looked down at herself, "Well, what do you know, the shield must be different, it was never like this back in my day, and I can still see you all on the other side." The alicorn rubbed her chin, "Anyway, stop dilly dally and get in here!" She beckoned the group.
"Well, here goes nothing." Pipp spoke softly from inside the car, looking directly at David as she did so.
"Here we go..." David replied, "Just remember, for first-time travellers, it tends to get a bit bumpy." He continued, leaning out the car door and speaking directly to the rest of the group.
"Did he say bumpy?" Sprout asked Sunny as David slowly backed the car up for a good run-up.
"Ready?" David turned to Pipp as she tightened the seat belt as the car stopped, now facing the shield, a good 100 ft away.
"Ready." She nodded, her serious look on her face as David revved the engine.
"Hi-ho, silver." David muttered under his breath as he shifted gears, the engine revving twice more.
Without another word, David released his foot off of the brake, the car jerked forwards as it roared before rapidly speeding up.
Zipp watched with hesitation as the car quickly appeared on the shield, "Please work..." She said under her breath as the car grew closer.
Pipp's vision began to be filled with dazzling shimmers and sparkles as they grew closer, "It's working." She said with awe as a rainbow ring began to grow in front of the car, "We're going through." She added as her earring began to be filled with what sounded like a mix of bells ringing and the sound of magic twinkling.
The pink mare clamped her eyes shut as bright lights blinded her eyes, and her teeth began to rattle in her head.
Then, everything went silent.
Pipp slowly opened her eyes, gone were the bright lights and the shimmers. What was once a grey and dull snowy landscape, was instead, replaced by a grassy meadow under a clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight.
"Is this heaven?" She spoke to herself, slowly turning towards David.
"No, this is home, my home." He replied, looking straight ahead at the city in the distance, "So, how was your first time going through the shield?" He asked her, now turning towards her.
"I feel like somepony's drilling into my head." She groaned, rubbing her temples with her wings.
"Heh, don't worry, now you've been through, the second time won't be nearly as bad." David chucked to himself as the Sprouticus pulled up alongside.
"A little warning next time about that..." Zipp groaned, hoof on her mouth as she resisted the urge to vomit.
"It won't be as bad next time." David grinned softly at Zipp who rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Wow!" Izzy shouted, "It's so sparkly!" She added, eyes fixed on the sparkling structures in the distance.
"Welcome to the Crystal Empire." Opaline smiled, hovering above the group, "This is my homeland..." She smiled, the warm sun beating down on her face.
Pipp and David looked at each other and nodded, "Hey, Zipp!" Pipp shouted out the window, "First one to the city is a rotten sardine!" She shouted as the car sped off.
"Hey!" Zipp shouted, running after the car before taking flight.
Sunny chuckled to herself as she watched Zipp flying awhile, "Well, after them." She added, looking at Sprout.
"Urgh, fine." He groaned, shifting the throttle forwards.
"Hey, no fair! You had a head start!" Zipp grumbled as she landed next to Pipp, the pink mare laughing as she stepped out of the car.
"Aww, are you salty, Zipp?" Pipp chuckled, pulling out her phone and snapping a picture of Zipp's face, "I am so posting this." She added, tapping away at her phone
"NO NO- Damn it!" Zipp groaned loudly, "Don't you dare post that-!" She yelled before hearing the sent sound play from Pipp's phone.
"Too late, Zipp." Pipp grinned, slipping her phone back under her wing.
"One day... I will get my hoofs on your phone and when I do, I will find out how many posts you made about me." Zipp grumbled, sighing loudly.
"Those two really act like children..." Sprout said out loud as he stopped the Sprouticus, Sunny flicked him on the back of the head with her hoof.
"And you don't?" She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "It only took my mom to shut you up after you kept complaining about every single small detail." The orange mare added.
"Nah, he acts like a filly." Zoom replied smugly as Sprout headbutted the dashboard.
"Nah, I'd say he acts more like a foal." Dazzle added, looking at Zoom, and then to Sprout, who proceeded to headbutt the dashboard again.
"I'm never going to see the end of this teasing..." He groaned to himself, ears flat against his head.
"Uh guys, is that a soldier?" Thunder pointed towards what looked like a single pony walking towards the group dressed in silver armour.
"I'll check it out." Zoom replied, putting on her helmet.
Zoom quickly glided down from the Sprouticus' cab, landing gently on the grassy ground, sword holstered but quickly accessible if needed.
The lone soldier approached the group as they stood at the base of two large crystal pillars that acted like a gateway into the city.
"No trespassers in the Crystal Empire!" The soldier shouted, "State your business!" They continued, clearly a female judging from the voice, and a tall mare at that.
"Allow me." Izzy pushed past Zoom, "I know the way of the tall pony." The unicorn added, stepping in front of the tall soldier.
"She does know that she's barely taller than Sunny right?" Zipp asked Hitch as they watched on in anticipation.
"We come in peace." Izzy said loudly but slowly as she approached the mare, who was at least a head taller than herself or more, without hesitation.
The taller pony frowned, leaning her neck forward and stared at Izzy who proceeded to do the same as they approached closer. Muzzles only a few inches apart.
"Oh, this is getting intense..." Dazzle whispered to Sunny as they stared at Izzy and the unknown soldier.
Izzy and the pony suddenly smiled at each other, "HI NEW FRIEND!" They shouted in unison and giggled like old friends.
"GOD DAMN IT! THERE'S TWO OF THEM!" Sprout screamed from the Sprouticus as flashbacks from the first time he met Izzy filled his head, "No... This... Can’t be real..." He stared blankly into the distance, like someone suffering from PTSD.
The tall mare wrapped a wing around Izzy's shoulder as the pair laughed like mad, "It's been a long time since we had any outsiders..." She spoke, now in a lighter, softer voice.
"My name is Izzy Moonbow." Izzy replied, voice still bubbly from giggling, "What's yours?" She added.
"Shooting Star." The taller mare replied, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye.
"Oh! You're Shooting Star, your father has told us so much about you." Izzy giggled, pointing towards the car as it sat just behind the Sprouticus.
"What did you just say?" Shooting Star asked, squeezing Izzy's shoulder with her wing.
"Oh, your father is with us, in fact, he's why we're even up here!" Izzy continued, "He's over there!" She pointed once more to the car.
Shooting Star's eyes tracked Izzy's hoof, she froze when she saw the front of the car sticking out, "N-no, it's impossible." She said to herself, ears falling flat against her head as she slowly stepped towards the car.
David slowly stepped out of the car, freezing when he saw Shooting Star staring right at him, "H-hey..." He spoke softly to her.
"I-i-it's really you..." She trembled, feeling his face all over with her hooves.
"It's me, Lillian..." He replied as her hooves pawed at his cheeks.
"Dad..." Shooting Star spoke softly, squeezing him tightly.
"Too tight..." He groaned, feeling his back crack, "And... that's my back gone..."
"Oh!" Shooting Star quickly let go, "Sorry!" She held a hoof to her mouth as David fell to the ground, landing on his behind.
"It's... Ok..." David groaned, rubbing his back, "You really need to learn your own strength..." He added, now feeling sore all over.
"You ok?" Pipp asked, running over to David.
"I'll live..." He replied.
"Awww... Cute foal..." Shooting Star cooed before scooping up Pipp in her hooves and rocking her back and forth like a baby.
"HEY! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Pipp demanded, wriggling around like a worm
"Nuh-uh! You're getting rocked and you're going to like it." Shooting Star giggled as she continued to rock the small pegasus.
"Oh ho, I'm gonna record this as payback." Zipp said as he held back her laughter. quickly, she pulled out her phone, unfolding it with a flick of her hoof, "Smile for the camera, Pipp." Zipp smirked before tapping the start stream button on her screen.
"DON'T YOU DARE SEND THIS TO MOM!" Pipp screamed.
"Oh, it’s going out live to everyone." Zipp smiled wickedly, "Consider this payback." She snickered as the view counter topped in the thousands, heart and laughing emojis filling her screen, "Oh, and mom says hi." Zipp added, reading a comment from Haven as it popped up on the screen.
"Urgh... Can this day get any worse..." Pipp grumbled to herself, starting to feel dizzy.
Shooting Star froze, dropping Pipp to the ground as a thought came to her mind, "Mom is gonna freak when she finds out you're alive!" She beamed, "C'mon, follow me to the city." She turned on her heel into a full gallop towards the city.
The group all looked at each other and shrugged before all stepping into their respective vehicles and following Shooting Star.
End of Chapter Twenty Six.